Later this month, medics from the 10th Special Forces Group will learn battlefield medical techniques at the post by treating the goats, which will be sedated and then injured to simulate combat wounds, the Army confirmed Tuesday.

The Army is unapologetic about the nature of the training, saying the goats will be sacrificed to save the lives of soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But, (wait for it!):

That’s not good enough for the Washington-based Humane Society of the United States, which last week sent a letter of protest to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, calling on him to spare the Fort Carson goats.

“We wouldn’t be much of a Humane Society if we didn’t oppose the shooting of goats for training purposes,” said Martin Stephens, the organization’s vice president for animal research issues.

The military has long used animals to train soldiers for this sort of thing. I suspect that they will continue to do so for a long, long time. As they should.

Comments

Martin Stephens’ comment, ‘We wouldn’t be much of a Humane Society if we didn’t oppose the shooting of goats for training purposes’ comes off initially sounding as though the complaint was pro-forma, and that he was a bit embarrassed to be equating the lives of goats with those of soldiers. And then I came to my senses, and realized he probably meant it.

Stealing and/or abusing goats has been a source of disputes since history was first recorded, hence the phrase ‘get my goat.’ 😉 As I recall, the Army used to use goats to test new cartridges and bullets, back around the turn of the century, and maybe into the 30s and 40s. (I’d have to google it for the details, and I’d have to be goated into wasting time on it.) Don’t be surprised when somebody announces we’ve just lost the One Thousandth goat. I say use ambulance-chasing lawyers and/or liberal politicians. They’re more plentiful, and you don’t get as attached to them, and the world is better off when one expires.

Patton: That’s funny that you say that, because that’s exactly what I thought when I first read it. That guy probably realizes that he’s in a tough spot, believing that goats are more important that people. But he didn’t back down.

[No Name]: How do you ask a creature to be the last goat to die for a mistake? Once more into the breach, dear goats, once more! Or close the wall up with our cloven dead. Leave no lamb behind. (Okay, who let the sheep in?) Where do we find such goats? I regret that I have but one goat to give for my country. Never have so many owed so much to so few. Goats. They counted on America to be goat-loving. They counted wrong. This time, the mission IS a goat. >>I really apologize for all those horrible lines. But I absolutely refuse to take this subject seriously. Really. If you want to criticize me, goat head.